A storm system that wreaked havoc across the eastern half of the U.S. spawned a tornado just north of Boston on Monday, ripping roofs off homes, uprooting dozens of large trees and forcing businesses to close.

The tornado — a rarity in Massachusetts and virtually unheard of in the Boston area — touched down in Revere, a coastal city of nearly 52,000. City officials said there were no immediate reports of serious injuries, but several people suffered minor injuries, including a baby who was in a car and hurt by flying glass and an elderly woman who suffered cuts.

“Given the magnitude of the storm, it’s really a miracle that no one sustained more serious injuries,” said Mayor Dan Rizzo.

Gov. Deval Patrick said state emergency officials were on the scene and would “do whatever we can to help them stand up again.”

The tornado was spawned by a powerful storm that moved through the Boston area shortly after 9 a.m. Revere residents said it touched down around 10 a.m. and lasted about five minutes.

The National Weather Service’s office in Massachusetts said it was the first tornado in Suffolk County, which includes Boston and the northern communities of Revere, Chelsea and Winthrop, since the agency began keeping records on them in 1950. Massachusetts has had 162 confirmed tornadoes during that time, the majority of them weak, according to meteorologist Kim Buttrick.

Revere officials were assessing the extent of the damage early Monday afternoon and going door-to-door in neighborhoods around the city’s busy commercial thoroughfare of Broadway, which appeared to have sustained the brunt of the damage. Officials were advising many residents not to return to their homes until they could confirm there were no gas leaks.

Rizzo said he expected the city to open a shelter for residents who needed one.

Paul and Patty Carrabes said they were both at work when the wind tore the roof off their Revere Beach Parkway home.

“I probably would have died if I was in there,” said Patty Carrabes said.

About a block over, Luis Fonseca said emergency warnings came too late. By the time a tornado warning popped up on his cellphone, he was already running to the basement with his niece and nephew as windows shattered and the wooden house swayed from side to side.

Other residents said they received the warnings roughly 10 minutes before the tornado hit, giving them enough time to find shelter.

Communities across the U.S. were cleaning up Monday after strong storms destroyed homes, knocked out power for thousands of people and toppled power lines and trees.

In eastern Tennessee, officials said there were no reports of any deaths or injuries from Sunday’s storms, though at least 10 homes were destroyed.

In Kentucky, National Weather Service forecaster Tony Edwards said some areas got softball-sized hail Sunday.

Massive hail also was reported in Michigan, where winds toppled trees and ripped the roofs off buildings. And in Ohio, some roads had been blocked by flash flooding. In Pennsylvania, nighttime storms knocked out power to thousands.

In Revere, business owners cleared broken glass from shattered windows as cleanup crews broke apart downed trees and fallen billboards. Rizzo said City Hall was damaged and likely would be closed for a couple of days.

A few Broadway businesses still had power and reopened Monday afternoon. The Revere House of Pizza had a steady stream of customers, despite damage to the building’s exterior.

“We’re full throttle now,” said general manager Arthur Pirint.

A few block over at N.C.’s Auto Repairs, owner John Curley sat at his desk looking up at where the roof used to be. The garage bay was filled with rubble.

Curley said he and his workers were mostly unharmed.

“We’re really just trying to absorb what happened,” he said. “My concern now is really for my guys. Their livelihoods depend on this place.”

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About Earth Changes Media w/ Mitch Battros

Mitch Battros is a scientific journalist who is highly respected in both the scientific and spiritual communities due to his unique ability to bridge the gap between modern science and ancient text. Founded in 1995 – Earth Changes TV was born with Battros as its creator and chief editor for his syndicated television show. In 2003, he switched to a weekly radio show as Earth Changes Media. ECM quickly found its way in becoming a top source for news and discoveries in the scientific fields of astrophysics, space weather, earth science, and ancient text. Seeing the need to venture beyond the Sun-Earth connection, in 2016 Battros advanced his studies which incorporates our galaxy Milky Way - and its seemingly rhythmic cycles directly connected to our Solar System, Sun, and Earth driven by the source of charged particles such as galactic cosmic rays, gamma rays, and solar rays. Now, "Science Of Cycles" is the vehicle which brings the latest cutting-edge discoveries confirming his published Equation.

My Daughter "Alexa" is participating in her schools Apex Fun Run which is set up for each individual grade (she is now in 2nd grade) to run at least 36 laps. This is her schools only fundraiser for the year. You can sponsor her by making a one-time single donation...

"The Sun has been a driver of these systems more than we had any right to expect," says Daniel Baker, Principal Investigator, Van Allen Probes Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT). "We're seeing brand new features we hadn't expected." In a press conference on Dec. 4th members of the Van Allen Probes science team discuss […]